Who can convince those who reject climate science? Maybe their kids

There are significant
generational differences when it comes to opinions on climate
change in the US. Students are more open to learning about this
scientific issue without getting snagged on the culture wars that
have divided American opinions along political and cultural lines,
which probably explains why younger people are less likely than
their grandparents to claim that climate science is “a hoax.”
But can kids help us with that problem now, or will they have to
wait decades for their turn behind the levers of power?

A team of researchers led by North Carolina State University’s
Danielle Lawson set out to test how kids affect their parents’
opinions by bringing what they learn home. The researchers
recruited middle school teachers in coastal North Carolina,
assigning some to try out a specific climate change lesson plan and
using the rest as a control group for comparison. In total, about
200 families went through the experimental curriculum, with about
100 kids in the control group taking unchanged classes.

The experimental curriculum consisted
of four class activities teaching students about the difference
between weather and climate and how climate change impacts the
species around them. They then participated in a relevant local
community project. This experience was designed to fulfill
education standards but also to be similar to other lesson plans in
which novel experiences have been shown to get kids talking at
home, resulting in parental attitude changes. To that end, the kids
were also given an assignment to interview their parents about
their perceptions of changes in the local weather.